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Chapter One hundred and Forty
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TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and forty-One
He was unsure of how the blonde girl was going to react to his offer to sit and talk to her. He didn’t even know where he was going to start from in a manner that wouldn’t sound offensive, but his inner gut told him that she needed help.Pulling up to the chair, he asked politely, “Can I take the chair?”“To any other table you want,” she replied, eyes glued to the tablet she was scrolling.“Are you sure about that?” he asked, really hoping she would say no and he could stroll back to where he was with a free mind.She looked up, wanting to shush the disturbance in front of her, but stopped at the last minute and said, “You’re the guy with the expensive coat, isn’t it?”“The coat is not as expensive as you think,” he teased. “You looked like you wanted to say something the other time before I left. Am I right or wrong?”“Not totally right, but you are not completely wrong either.”“Okay,” he said, looking around and motioning to the attendant at the cafeteria. The attendant, a clean-c
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and forty-two
Cameron took caution and almost spilled the coffee in his mouth on her, swallowing it in a rush to avoid the reaction, “What? What did you just say now?” “You heard me, Master Myers, I am dying.” “Dying of what?” “COPD, otherwise known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” she sniffed. “Tell me more about it,” he told her, completely losing interest in the coffee. “The doctor said it’s a term that encompasses two main conditions, namely, chronic bronchitis, which is the inflammation and narrowing of the bronchial tubes, leading to a persistent cough and mucus production, and emphysema, which is the damage to the air sacs in the lungs, causing shortness of breath and difficulty breathing.” “Oh my God, that’s so serious. Since when did you come about this?” “I really don’t know. It has been in my system for a long time, but I thought it was just the usual cough or common cold that happens to us, so I resorted to self-medication, which made matters worse until I was rushed h
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and forty-three
The trip back home looked as if it was going to take one hundred and seventy hours instead of the usual seventeen, and Cameron knew he could only attribute it to one thing: longing. He was longing for a lot of things, longing to be in his own space back at the office, longing for the squealing of the twins as they bickered over irrelevant things in the house, but most especially, he knew he was longing for Lana’s touch, her feel, her scent, her sense of humour; without being told, he knew he was missing her entirety.He buckled the seat belt as the air hostess had advised and relaxed better in the chair as he felt the engines of the plane start to roar beneath, wondering at the magic behind the floating airbus.At the exact time prescribed, he touched down at the airport and checked the time, knowing that Lana would still be home at the apartment he had gotten for her. Stepping outside the airport and feeling the familiar air of this place fill his lungs, his longing was felt like nev
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and forty-four
Lana did her job diligently at the office, wearing a smile that wore off the other staff. They started to look at her weirdly, wondering where the smiles were coming from and why she was so happy today. Some wondered if another contract was coming in, and some wondered if the boss was back, but they knew their boss quite well; if he were around, he would have pulled up at the office. Lana found herself looking at the clock over and over again, checking the time every thirty minutes, and realised her disappointment when she noticed that the clock wasn’t ticking as fast as she had imagined. If there was one thing she would do, though, she knew she would wait till the end of the day before driving home to satisfy that urge she didn’t know was present in her; that drive didn’t become embedded deeply in her until she saw Cameron. Her eyes scanned the contents of the document before her, but her mind wasn’t there. She tried to picture what Cameron would be doing all by himself in the hou
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and forty-five
Yesterday was a glorious night, a night to always remember, and there was no overrating it. It was as if Cameron and Lana had both bottled their emotions and let them all out like butterflies in a botanical garden. Lana could have sworn in her life that she never felt that good, and Cameron was just boasting inside of him that he was fulfilled. They had both fallen asleep, naked, not even caring about the open window or the impending rain, which, to their favour, never came. She was woken up the next day by the striking rays of the sun hitting her eyes, and she stretched lazily, hanging over from the emotions she had consumed last night. She turned over and looked at his half-naked body, his lower section covered by the sheets. She stared at him continuously and found herself smiling for no particular reason, daring herself to go on another trip to her personal Disneyland, where they had taken the most adventurous rollercoaster ride ever. As she gazed at him, her eyes traced the
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and forty-six
Sally wished she had taken her mother’s offer and advice when she had recommended that she get a driver, but she had waved it off, saying her work was too flexible for that, but here she was, finding the drive back home from the office unbearably tiring. She had had enough work at the office today and had even been invited to the police precinct by one of her rich, spoilt brat clients who had been caught vandalising government property because he was pissed about his phone. He had reportedly smashed the phone with force into the windscreen of a police vehicle and, in anger and frustration, had hit the windscreen with a brick until it came apart. She would have sent one of the small fry to the office, but the client was the son of the former president, and he had broken the windscreen of one of the inspector generals of police who had vehemently displayed his hatred during the client’s father's regime. She knew how the issue could quickly escalate and her client could be surrounded
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and forty-seven
Freda sat in her office, going over the activities that were drafted by the company’s human relations team to boost efficiency and productivity among the staff. Against her wishes, they had printed it on hard paper and had it submitted to her desk, and she realised their decision was the best way, although it required defying her direct orders.Her mind drifted to the impending issue at hand, and she reached for her phone, putting a call through to the legal team to know about the latest updates.As usual, they kept her going with the news that we’re doing something about it, and she hung up the phone, a little disappointed, not knowing what to expect. Looking around the office and even standing up to close the office door to be sure she wasn’t being snooped on, she picked up the phone and called the person she had sent on a private assignment.“How is it? Are you done with it?”“Not yet, though the first phase is currently in development. Just calm down and use your seatbelt; you’re
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and forty-eight
Sally, unsure of who she had a case with that could go this far, drove straight to the police precinct, not even daring to use her brakes for a moment. The police precinct stood proudly in the centre of the city, its gate lit with a statue of the police badge. Sally drove in, nodding her head at the security man, and could only breathe when she was inside the protective confines of the station. Once inside the station, she rolled down her protective window, coughing at the impact of the fresh breeze hitting her face. She looked around for the detective who had called, and she saw him on the far side of the station, walking towards her car. “Good evening, Miss Sally,” he greeted, hands resting on his hips. “There is nothing good about the evening, detective,” she responded shakily. “Talk to me; what did you see?” “Someone after my life.” “I am going to need you to calm down and tell me what happened.” “Okay, I just got back from work and I went to my residence. I have no staff
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TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Two hundred and three
Andre’s POV Two Years LaterMy mother was upset that I had gone behind her back to sabotage her. To sell her company to that little brat—that is what she refers to Lana as now—who knew nothing about business, but I did not have to tell her that it was either that or see her remanded in prison. To watch everything I had and everyone I loved taken away from me. I did not need to tell her that we were lucky we had a choice. The poor girl had no choice back then and had to take life as it was handed to her. My mother would live—abort sourly—but at least she would still live. We could build back the company even if it took a long time. Thankfully, all she had back then was a minor heart attack. As for the little brat, Lana, she and Cameron got married two years ago and have spent the last two years of their marriage touring the world.I was envious of the love they found. The comfort they gave each other, the strength in their numbers, but as time went on, I too was beginning to live wi
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Two hundred and two
Lana’s POV The house was still the same way I remembered it. The chairs, the arm stool, and the and the settees All of the arrangements were still the same, and it struck a chord of familiarity within me. I settled into the plush armchair and watched Andre move towards the bar, his demeanour calm and composed. It was hard to reconcile this composed man with the man I had known years ago. Andre returned with a glass of red wine, just the way I liked it. He handed it to me, then sat across from me. “Have you come to a conclusion regarding what we discussed?” I crossed my legs, one above the other, and stared blankly at him. “Regarding what exactly? The only thing I remember that we have yet to talk about are the kids and how we’ll split their days between us. Other than that, I don't think we have any unfinished business. Except you are talking about signing the documents, which would see me as the new CEO of Ranhold.” Andre heaved a long sigh and rubbed his temples. Was he beginnin
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Two hundred and one
Lana’s POV We spent the next week gathering evidence against Freda and meeting with potential witnesses who could testify against her if we were to take her to court, but it seemed as though that would not be needed. It was some time towards the end of the week when what was going to be our break happened. It came in the form of André getting a recognition award. I had no idea what his relationship with Freda had been like following everything that had happened lately, so I cannot talk about that. But upon receiving the award, Freda was so happy with her son that she decided to allow him to make certain decisions that regarded the leadership of Ranhold. In the past, André had been nothing but a figurehead. Although he sat in the CEO position, his mother, Freda, usually handled all the decision-making, and everyone knew this. He was useless, and if it was important that his signature be appended to a document, he had to get permission from Freda first before doing it. But now, all
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Two hundred
Lana’s POV Back at my apartment, we laid out all the new information we had gathered. It felt like we were finally making progress, and the weight of uncertainty was beginning to lift. But then a call entered my phone, which was going to either bring everything crashing down on us again or continue pushing us forward.We had laid everything on the table in front of us, and we were about to start sitting through them when the ringtone of my phone shattered through the peace, quiet, and anxiety that had settled over us. Sighing and thinking it was from one of my colleagues at Lukem, I pulled the phone from my pocket and paused when I saw the caller ID displaying on my screen.“Hmmm... Andre.” I said it out loud, alerting the other guys to who the caller was. Without waiting for their response, I swiped on the screen and placed the phone in my ear. “Hey, Andre.” I greeted. “What’s going on?”“I found something.” He announced. From over the phone, I could not make out the time of his vo
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Ninety-nine
Lana’s POV Fred smiled warmly, taking a seat beside Clara. “It’s been a long time, Aunt Clara. We have so much to catch up on, but there’s something important we need to ask you about first.”Clara looked at him. “Of course, anything. What do you need to know?”Fred glanced at me, and I handed Clara the letter. “We found this among my father’s papers. It mentions a promise to protect you. We need to understand what happened.”Clara took the letter and began reading it. As she read through it, I noticed the change in her expression. She took a deep breath and glanced up at us. “This... this brings back memories I thought I’d buried. Your mother and Mr. West were the best friends I ever had. But there was more to it, and it brought trouble or would have brought trouble had Mr. West not decided to act in what he believed to be the best interest of everyone, including your mother. Fred’s face lightened up, as did mine. “What do you mean?”Clara sighed. “Secrets.” She whispered. “Anne an
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and ninety-eight
Lana’s POVFred shrugged. “She hinted at societal expectations and family obligations,” he replied. “But she didn’t give specifics. I think she knows a lot more than she’s letting on.”I nodded slowly. “My father never mentioned anything about your mother or you and Kathy. And I started going through his papers; maybe I would find something.”Fred’s expression softened. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but it is not to be helped. I cannot say I know how you feel or what you are feeling right now. Finding out that a person you think you know has another side, which you have no idea of, can really do something to you.”I reached out and touched Fred’s hand briefly. “We’ll figure it out together. I have some of my father’s old letters and documents that might help us piece things together. Maybe we can confront Freda again with more concrete questions? What do you think? Right now, she’s the only person who can give us answers, and we are not even on good terms.”We returned to m
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and ninety-seven
Narrator’s POV Freda’s smile faltered for the briefest of moments, a shadow crossing her eyes before she quickly regained her composure. She leaned back in her chair, interlacing her fingers and resting them on her desk.“That’s quite a heavy topic, Fred,” she said, her tone now more serious. “Why are you suddenly interested in this?”Fred shrugged. “Perhaps after Kathy’s death, I realised something. I just want to know why he abandoned my mother, why he chose his other family above us, and why he caused us so much pain and loss. I want to understand all of these things; perhaps it would help me forgive, let go, and move on.”A shadow of a smile crossed Freda’s face. “Ahhhh... I guess it runs in the family then.” Fred narrowed his eyes, wondering what she meant by that statement. “I don’t understand. What runs in the family?”Freda stood to her feet and approached the floor-to-ceiling window, which offered a great view of the city. From here, he could view the city’s skyline and wat
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and ninety-six
Narrator’s POV Freda’s office was located on the uppermost floor of the skyscraper that acted as Ranhold’s headquarters, a detail that made Fred pause as he stepped out of the taxi five minutes ago. He blinked against the rays of sunlight reflecting off the monolithic structure of steel and glass, momentarily blinded. The reflective surface mirrored the city below, creating an illusion of infinite depth.The other buildings around it were similar in their grandeur, each with its own unique design. For the umpteenth time since his arrival in the city, Fred was reminded of how little he had traveled. There were places outside of his known world yet to be explored, and this city of steel and glass was one of them. He had spent—wasted—five minutes entranced by the sleek, modern design, temporarily forgetting his purpose for being there.Pulling himself back to reality, he straightened his suit and approached the entrance. The revolving glass doors spun smoothly, ushering him into a grand
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Ninety-five
Lana’s POVI took tentative steps towards the bouquet. Whether unconsciously or by some reflex response in our system, we all had taken steps away from the bouquet. For some reason, we felt threatened by it. This was not the first time we would receive threats disguised as gifts, and I guess that has taught us a lesson. Slowly, I pulled out the card in the bouquet and glanced at Cameron and Sally, who both gave me curt nods. I opened it and began reading it aloud. “Congratulations on Zoe’s recovery. Best wishes for the future. – Freda.”The room fell silent as the implications of the message sank in. Sally was the first to break the silence. “Freda has acted once again. First of all, it was an almost dead bird on my door, and now congratulatory bouquet?”My grip on the card tightened. “Is this supposed to mean something?”Cameron stepped closer, resting his hand on the small of my back. “Hey, we’ll keep our guard up. She’s only trying to play mind games, but we won’t give her the sat
